Prayer flag
A Tibetan Buddhist cloth flag, hung in sets of five colours in a fixed order.
Also: lungta, darchog
Prayer flags are squares or strips of cloth printed with prayers and symbols and strung across mountain passes, bridges, rooftops and monasteries in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Ladakh and Sikkim. They come in five colours, always in the same sequence: blue, white, red, green and yellow. These are usually explained as sky or space, air or cloud, fire, water and earth. The wind is believed to carry the blessings outward to all beings. The flags are left to fade and fray, and new ones are hung beside the old, often at the Tibetan new year.